Information & Ethics Committee on Feb. 6th, 2007

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

You'll have to be brief.

[Vivian Bercovici]

Thank you.

I agree with you. I think that when you have an omnibus statute like this that purports to deal with a single-person enterprise in an insurance company--because it does apply to all commercial enterprise--I think it's very challenging, if not impossible, to have it work effectively.

You know, this is a statement of principles. It was intended to bring attention to the fact that information was being distributed electronically with absolutely no controls. So it introduced this recognition of ownership and interest in private information.

It may be more appropriate to leave this statute as a statement of principle and look to specific statutes, such as those that regulate our sectors--the Bank Act, the Insurance Companies Act--where you have government officials who are very expert in the particular issues and where it is very complex. And it may be more appropriate to delegate these sorts of issues, in detail, to those sectors. It's good business, and I think it is being done in various sectors.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Thank you.

We'll go to Mr. Martin.

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

I believe that it is my turn.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Your turn hasn't come yet. You're on here, but you have a ways to go.

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Aren't you following the usual order?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Your turn is not on, under the rules. I'm following the rules of the committee.

Mr. Martin.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

So do I have the floor, Mr. Chair?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

You do have the floor.

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Excuse me, Mr. Chair, I do not understand that rule. Can you please explain it to me?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

A point of order.

The rule is that there is a five-minute round for each caucus. The second round goes Liberal, Conservative, Bloc, Conservative, New Democratic Party, Liberal, Conservative. You get one shot, and therefore you'll have to wait until the third round. The NDP and the Bloc only get one shot. The Liberals and Conservatives, because of their size in the House, get more shots than you or the NDP.

Mr. Martin.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I hope that doesn't go against the little amount of time we get.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

The New Democratic Party and the Bloc do an excellent job, Mr. Martin.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I'd like to take advantage of some of the experience on the committee to ask a question that's a bit outside the study today. The House of Commons is currently looking at Bill C-31, amendments to the Canada Elections Act. Part of this is requiring more identification for voters when they come to the voting station—

[An hon. member]

[Inaudible--Editor]

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Your time is not up. I don't want to take away from your presentation.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

No, I appreciate that. This is probably something we could talk about at a planning committee meeting, or one of those meetings where we talk about the structure.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Madame Lavallée, I'd like some order, please.

Mr. Martin, proceed.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Thank you.

Bill C-31 talks about voter ID, having to produce two pieces of ID, but it also would change the permanent voters lists. It would now have your name, your address, your phone number, and your date of birth. Now, in election campaigns that I've managed--four of them now--I've had 400 volunteers. And quite often you tear off a page of the voters list and say, “Go phone these 50 people and see if they'll vote for us.” I'm wondering if all of you, as privacy experts, see it as a problem to be spreading the name, address, phone number, and date of birth of every Canadian to virtually anybody who wants it, and if that's not a recipe for identity theft.

[Murray Long]

I was surprised when I saw that bill and looked at the fact that the list would have date of birth on it. I think that's certainly the one element I would have a concern about, because it's certainly a piece of information that is much more personal than any other. Your telephone number is not particularly sensitive information, unless it's an unlisted number. But date of birth certainly is, and I would certainly not be very supportive of that being included on lists that are made available to large numbers of individuals.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Does anyone else have any views on that? I know that's not why you're here. I thought I'd just take advantage of the expertise.

I do have a question regarding, specifically, PIPEDA. I know that in the province of Quebec, their private sector privacy legislation says that a business cannot transfer personal information to a third party outside Quebec unless it believes that the information will benefit from protections similar to what it enjoys within Quebec. That's a recommendation I would support, though. Maybe I missed it in your presentations. Is it a recommendation of your respective organizations that Canada should have comparable mention within PIPEDA?

[Ann MacKenzie]

Mr. Martin, are you talking about transborder flows of information within Canada or outside of Canada?

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

I'm thinking about outside of Canada, much like the European Union has stated that they want their trading partners to have comparable.... The Province of Quebec has that very language. I notice a number of advocacy groups have been saying that Canada should do what Quebec has done.

[Ann MacKenzie]

I'll clarify a couple of things. Within Canada, just as a business practice, if we're doing business in Quebec, British Columbia, or wherever, we meet the highest standards, not the lowest.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Which has the highest?